


The Absence of Sense and Practical Solutions

by AmberGriffen



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Child Abuse, Jack is valid, Minor Violence, Post-Canon, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:00:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29216835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberGriffen/pseuds/AmberGriffen
Summary: “Mo…”“Oscar, just go, you don’t needs’ me.”Oscar and Morris have each other but not much else.
Relationships: Jack Kelly & Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Morris Delancey & Oscar Delancey
Kudos: 10





	The Absence of Sense and Practical Solutions

**Author's Note:**

> I see Mike Faist as Morris, Brendon Stimson as Oscar, Jeremy Jordan as Jack, Kara Lindsey as Katherine and John Grady as Wiesel if anyone was wondering but you're probably not.
> 
> Also, not trying to justify the Delancey's actions, just imagining them as more than 2D characters with 12 lines collectively in the musical.

Uncle Wiesel was shouting too loud. Morris could feel the walls closing in on him, the air inside of his lungs were rattling more violently and the trembling in his hands was making waves to the ringing in his ear. He wanted to get out but the door was shut, it was unlocked but the thunder in the room was too loud for Morris to remember.

When Wiesel finally stopped and stormed out, Morris’ ringing didn’t stop. The rattling in his organs didn’t stop. 

Then Oscar walked in, Morris could start breathing again. He felt his older brother’s presence and could feel that Oscar as gently whispering to him but he couldn’t hear his words. The ringing and rattling wouldn’t stop. His body was shaking, as if it wanted him to throw punches to stir up a fight or break down in tears.

When Wiesel came back into the room, Morris’ ringing had taken over him and was in a state of panic. He wanted to run but a blanket of heat was casted over him, he was frozen in place, unmoving except the heaving of his chest and the tremor of his hands. This time when his uncle started shouting, his brother yelled back against him. Defending Morris from his uncle’s noise. 

Wiesel raised his hand and slapped Oscar across the face. Leaving the older boy to fall on the ground, the left side of his face rose a boiling red mark.

Morris ran. Unfrozen from thoughts except from one.  
He wasn’t letting Oscar get hurt because of him again. 

By the time Morris had realised he was far, he was uptown. He felt his insides slow and his leg turn sour. The younger Delancey sat against an alley wall, hoping to not be noticed.

———

Holding his face, Oscar got up and pushed pass Wiesel to run after his brother. He was successfully on his tail till they entered 42th street, all of the wealthy people and their carriages leaving theatres had blocked his view of the back of Morris.

“Morris!” He yelled, trying to get through Morris’ hazy state from a 6 metres distance. His brother, however, continued to run and in a few seconds the shadow of his brother had left his sight.

“Shit!” Oscar pushed passed four different cyclers and slipped under a carriage. He lost his brother's trail.

———

Just as Oscar spotted a curled up Morris sitting against the wall, Jack Kelly walking with Katherine had also spotted Oscar too. They watched Oscar run to Morris and put his hand on his shoulder, kneeling to pull Morris into an embrace. They watched as he pulled away that Morris was asking him to leave, to go on without himself dragging him down.

“Oscar, yous don’t needs me, uncle Wiesel hates me, I don’t want yous to hurt fo me.”

“Come on’ Mo, don’t be like that.”

“I’m hurtin’ you!” At this point, Morris had been stumbling through his words, blurring tears had been gathering in his eyes.

“It’s his fault, he’s doin’ the hurtin’. It’s neva been you.” 

“It ain’t fair that yous been stuck wit me.” Morris, curled into himself even more, his face was contorting in ways to keep tears from falling but it wasn’t working as successfully as he would have liked.

“Mo-”

“Oscar, just go, you don’t needs’ me.”

“Too bad, cause’ you’re stuck wit me.” Oscar sits down in front of Morris, putting his hand on his brother’s knee.

“I ain’t leaving yous.”

Morris twitched his eye up to meet Oscar’s assuring eyes.

The pair of brother had been entirely blind to the fact that Jack and Katherine had been watching this whole interaction unfold from the opposite side of the street, through the dim light of the streetlamp. 

“I th’ought we was just goin’ on a walk t’night but alright.” Jack remarked humorously.

“Who did you think Oscar was talking about?”

“Don’t know, whoever it is, I wanna say ‘fair game’.” Jack huffed out a laugh. Katherine gently hit his chest, giving him a look of annoyance.

“Jack come on.”

“Wha’t?”

“They might be in serious trouble, they’re still kids Jack.”

“Yea, sure. But I’m sure not taw'king to either of em’.”

“Just try to go easier on them.”

“If they do wit us’, I'll give em' a chance.”

Katherine and Jack gave the pair one last look before leaving that dark street, into the brighter lights of uptown Manhattan. 

———

Morris was stubborn but he wasn’t that stubborn to sleep in the streets and to feel the consequences later. 

About an hour after they both sat down in silence, Morris took Oscar’s hand and brought it off his knee. He held on like he had for most of his life.

“Home?” Oscar asked, praying for Morris to say yes.

Morris nodded at him. His older brother stood up and pulled Morris up as well, putting his arm around Morris’ shoulder, walking the both of them down the street.

“We’ll be alrite Morris.” 

Morris wanted that to be true.


End file.
